Abraham Skorka

Abraham Skorka (born July 5, 1950 in Buenos Aires) is an Argentine biophysicist, rabbi, and book author. Abraham Skorka is rector of the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano in Buenos Aires, the rabbi of the Jewish community Benei Tikva, professor of biblical and rabbinic literature at the Seminario Rabinico Latinoamericano and honorary professor of Hebrew Law at the Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires.

Career

Abraham Skorka held with the Archbishop of Buenos Aires Jorge Mario Bergoglio, later Pope Francis, a series of inter-religious talks on topics such as God, fundamentalism, atheists, death, holocaust, homosexuality, and capitalism. The dialogues alternately took place at the seat of the bishop and at the Jewish Community Benei Tikva. They were published in a book titled Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra (Between Heaven and Earth).

In 1973 he graduated from the Seminario Rabinico Latinamericano with ordination as a rabbi.

In 1979 he was awarded his doctorate in Chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires. Skorka has published scientific papers in the field of biophysics and numerous articles in the field of Biblical and Talmudic research.

He received a doctorate honoris causa from the Jewish Theological Seminary of America in New York City.

In 2010 the Universidad Católica Argentina awarded him a doctorate honoris causa, the first time in Latin America that a Catholic university gave this title to a rabbi.

Works

Books

• Miles de años por semana : vision actual de la lectura de la Torah. 1997
• co-author and editor: Introducción al Derecho Hebreo. 2001, ISBN 978-9502312002
• Hacia un mañana sin fe? 2007, Ediciones Asamblea Rabinica Latinoameriana, ISBN 978-9875506374
• Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Abraham Skorka: Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra. Editorial Sudamericana, Buenos Aires 2010, ISBN 9789500732932. Translated into English as On Heaven and Earth.

Cassette

• "Maimonides' Laws of Giving to the Poor", Rabbi Abraham Skorka, Rabbinical Assembly, 2000

Articles published in La Nacion (selection)

• De la muerte de Dios a la muerte de lo humano
• Diálogo profundo en un mundo inconexo
• De Fuenteovejuna a Pasteur 633
• De la cena pascual a la eucaristía
• A cuarenta años de Nostra Aetate
• Libertad e idolatría en el relato de la Pascua
• La visión de la Biblia sobre la paz
• A la sombra del golem
• Sacrificios que no acercan a Dios
• El diálogo interreligioso

External links

• Excerpts from the book Sobre el Cielo y la Tierra of Skorka and Bergoglio in Spanish: Aportes del diálogo interreligioso on Lanacion.com.ar

Videos

• Pope Francis and the Jews. Rabbi Abraham Skorka, rector and professor of Biblical and Rabbinic Literature at the Seminario Rabínico Latinoamericano, speaks about his longtime dialogue partner and friend, Pope Francis, at The Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) on YouTube. (en), (The speech begins at 10.41)
• Abraham Skorka: La creación del cosmos on YouTube, (es)
• Report on the award of Honorary Doctor of the Universidad Católica Argentina to Abraham Skorka on YouTube, (es)

Pictures

• Entrega al Rab. Abraham Skorka del Doctorado Honoris Causa.